Thread extracting means for weft replenishing looms



g- 1 5 A. CEDERLUND 2,897,847

THREAD EXTRACTING MEANS FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed June 19, 19582 Sheets-She et 1 INVENTOR ALBERT CEDERLUND aw Z ATTORNEY United Statesatent THREAD EXTRACT ING MEANS FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS AlbertCederiund, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Corporation,Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 19,1958, Serial No. 743,123

19 Claims. (CL 139-256) This invention relates to thread controllingmeans for weft replenishing looms and particularly to thread extractingdevices therefor, and it is the general object of the invention toprovide improved means for preventing the outgoing thread, or any partthereof, of an outgoing bobbin from entering the shed subsequent to aweft replenishing operation of the loom.

During a weft replenishment beat of the loom, the outgoing threadextends from the shuttle in the shuttle box under a reserve bobbinmagazine to the selvage of the cloth being woven. The thread, afterleaving the shuttle eye, is adjacent the greater part of the length ofthe shuttle and lies between the latter and the front wall of theshuttle box and extends therefrom to the selvage. When a transfer ofbobbins occurs, the thread must be removed from the shuttle box so thatit cannot be drawn into the warp shed by the shuttle to form animperfection in the fabric when the shuttle is picked. The thread moveswith the lay as the latter reciprocates between so-called front and backcenter positions, and considerable dilficulty has been experienced inthe past in removing the thread, not only from the shuttle box but alsofrom the lay on weft replenishing beats of the loom.

Certain devices that have gone into use have not proved entirelysatisfactory because they have failed to remove the thread from the laywith the result that the thread, or a part of it, is drawn into the warpshed,

either by a shuttle or by loom vibration. For example,

one known device moves part of the thread forwardly, and a device on thelay coacting with the first device moves part of the thread rearwardlyto effect removal of the latter from the shuttle box. However, in thiscase the thread is held to and suspends from part of the lay and becauseof the usual rapid reciprocation of the lay, the thread or part of it isoften whipped into the shed. Another type of device that has gone intouse employs a clamp and cutter system whereby the thread is clamped andthen cut at the eye of the shuttle after which the cutter and clamp ismoved forwardly during forward motion of the lay to remove the threadfrom the shuttle box. At this time the layend and certain of the goingparts thereon are adjacent to the clamp and cutter, and when the layrecedes, the thread is frequently caught on one of the going parts andeventually finds its way into the shed. Also, in this particular systemof removing the thread the front wall of the shuttle box has anelongated slot open at one end and of substantial height to permit theegress of the thread from the shuttle box. As a result of the slot, theshuttle checking surface of the wall is reduced and stopping of theshuttle, when it enters the box, is less effective than when all of thesurface is used, and the shuttle may rebound and cause a bobbin smash ontransferring beats of the loom. Moreover, because the lay reciprocatesthrough a fixed disstance between back and front center positionsthereof, the certain devices, referred to above, must be so correlatedwith respect to the moving lay as to establish exacting relationshiptherebetween in order that the devices are able to pick up the thread.This relationship, however, restricts the distance the devices can move,resulting in movement of the thread away from the lay a distance lessthan is desired.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to overcomethese diffioulties and restrictions by providing simple means movablerearwardly to thread pick-up position and then forwardly whereby part ofsaid means moves the thread forwardly a predetermined distance andanother part of said means engages the thread thereafter to move itfurther forwardly to effect removal thereof from the shuttle box and thelay. In this manner the thread is enabled to be moved a greater distanceforward than was contemplated in the past.

Another object of the invention is to provide cooperating elements onsaid means to effect reeving of the thread always in a forward directiondown and away from the lay, one of the elements being provided withmeans to cause rapid motion of said one element to effect snapping ofthe thread out of the box and away from the lay before the lay movesrearwardly.

Another object of the invention is to provide thread placing means andthread extracting means movable rearwardly from a normal forwardposition and back again and mounted on independent supporting structuresfixed to a stationary part of the loom, the means cooperating with eachother to produce bends in the thread to effect reeving thereof, saidbends being moved always forwardly when the placing and extracting meansmove forwardly to thread extracted position, said bends being held thereuntil a subsequent weft replenishing operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide operative connectionsbetween the thread placing and extracting means whereby the connectionspermit the placing means, during the greater part of its motion eitherforwardly or rearwardly, to move with respect to the extracting means totrigger the extracting means to cause the latter to move to threadextracting or to thread extracted position depending on whether theplacing means is moving rearwardly or forwardly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lost motion connectionbetween the extracting means and the operative connections so that theplacing means can move forwardly after it has picked up the outgoingthread to place a portion of the latter adjacent the extracting meansfor engagement thereby before the latter moves forwardly incident to aweft replenishing operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide yielding meanshaving one of its ends connected to the extracting means and its otherend connected to a part of the operative connections, said yieldingmeans moving bodily about said one end when said part moves, eitherrearwardly or forwardly, and being capable of exerting a force after ithas moved bodily a predetermined distance to effect movement of theextracting means rearwardly to thread-extracting position or forwardlyto thread-extracted position depending in which direction said part ismoving.

A further object of the invention is to provide stop means for thethread placing and thread extracting means to limit rearward and forwardmotion thereof, whereby operational relationship is maintained betweenthe placer and the extractor when they are in thread pick-up and threadengaging positions respectively by preventing excess motion with respectto each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide the thread placer with apair of thread pick-up members pivoted on and movable with the threadplacer and effective after the latter moves from its normal forwardposition to its rear thread pick-up position to pick up the outgoingthread and clamp it at one point and trap it at another point, theplacer having locking means pivotally mounted thereon to positively lockthe members in open or in closed position so that vibration of the loomwill not cause accidental closure of the members before they have pickedup the thread or accidental opening of the members before they havemoved the thread to its extracted position.

It is afurtherobject of the invention to provide actuator means tounlock the members and move them positively to locked open position whenthe placer is in its normal position, and to provide means to unlocksaid members when the placer is in rear position and after the threadhas been picked up whereupon resilient means connected to said lockingmeans acts to move the members to locked closed position to clamp andtrap the outgoing thread.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is madeto the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example theembodiments of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a magazine as viewed from the center 4 ofthe loom having the invention applied thereto and the parts thereof innormal or forward position; certain of the loom parts being in section,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view looking in the direction of arrow 2,Fig. l, V

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the thread placer taken on Fig. 3 andlooking in the direction of arrow 4,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the thread extractor looking in thedirection of arrow 5, Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a view similar to a part of Fig. l but showing the threadpick-up members in open or thread-receiving position,

Fig. 7 is an operational view showing the thread placing and threadextracting means in rear position with the lay engaging one of thelocking means and the outgoing thread being picked up by the pick-upmembers,

Fig. 8 is an operational view showing the thread placer approaching itsnormal position with the outgoing thread adjacent the thread extractingmeans for engagement thereby,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view looking in the direction of arrow 9, Fig. 7,

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are diagrammatic views illustrating the removal ofan outgoing thread from the shuttle box and the lay, and

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic rear view illustrating the clamping andtrapping of an outgoing thread.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, a loom frame 1 supports a breastbeam 2on which a magazine, generally indicated at M, is mounted. The magazinehas an upper shaft 3 mounted in right and left-hand bearings 4 and 5respectively for rocking motion therein. Also, mounted on the magazinefor rocking movement thereon is a bobbin selector 6 slidable rearwardlyand forwardly by means of a bell-crank lever 7 connected by a chain 8 toa pattern control not shown but well-known in the art. Shaft 3 has alever 9 fixed thereto which has the upper end of a depending rod 11pivotally attached thereto, the lower end being pivotally mounted andverticallyadjustable to mechanism to be described hereinafter. Shaft 3also mounts another depending rod 12 which is connected at its lower endto a latch 13 for cooperation with abunter 14 on the lay L. The lay hasshifting shuttle boxes generally indicated at B mounted for verticalmovement thereon to receive shuttles, one of which is indicated by S. Aweft detector D shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 rises and falls withthe shifting of the shuttle boxes. When exhaustion of weft is detectedby the detector, the latter will initiate setting of the magazine fortransfer of a bobbin from the magazine into the shuttle containing thenear-depleted bobbin which is expelled from the shuttle during thetransferring operation. This initiation has the elfect of movingtheusual pump rod 15 downwardly to effect rocking of the bobbin selector6 upwardly to raise one or another of vertical slides 16 through 19,depending upon the longitudinal position of the selector. Subsequently,the selector will be rocked in the opposite direction by pump rod 15 tolower the selected slide to release a reserve bobbin to transferposition indicated at T, Fig. l. Lowering of the slide effects rockingof shaft 3 in a direction to raise rod 11 for a purpose to be describedand effects raising of latch 13 for engagement with bunter 14, as thelay advances, to effect transfer of a bobbin into the depleted shuttleby the usual transfer hammer 25 When the selected slide moves shaft 3,the latter is given the usual partial rocking movement to partially moverodll after which the movement of the latter and shaft 3 is completed bythe usual over-center spring toggle connection generally indicated at21, Fig. l. The matter thus far described forms no part of the presentinvention except as hereinafter described and operates in the usualmanner.

In carrying out the present form of the invention a bracket 22 bolted asat 23 for vertical adjustment to the magazine frame M supports a stud 24on which a thread placer, generally indicated at 25, is pivotallymounted for rocking movement on stud 24. During normal loom operation,the thread placer and the parts associated therewith and to be describedhereinafter will be in their normal or forward position as seen in Figs.1 and 3, and during a weft replenishing operation the placer and partswill be in rear or thread pick-up position as shown in Fig. 7. Thethread placer comprises a pair of spaced arms 26 and 27 depending from ahub 28 on stud 24. Another arm 29 extends rearwardly from hub 28 and isoperatively connected to the lower end of rod 11, referred to above, andwhen shaft 3 is rocked to lift latch 13 to set the magazine for transferas described above, rod 11 will also be raised to lift arm 29 to causerocking of thread placer 25 rearwardly from its normal position tothread pick-up position. The lower end of each arm 26 and 27 haspivotally mounted thereon, as at 3131, thread pick-up members 32 and 33respectively, the upper ends of which are interconnected by a pin 34 toeffect simultaneous movement of the members for a purpose to bedescribed. Member 32 has a rearwardly extending, thread pick-up arm 35to cooperate with the lower end 36 of arm 26 to clamp the outgoingthread OT as can best be seen in Figs. 8 and 13. Member 33 also has arearwardly extending, thread pick-up arm 37 having a beveled edge 38opposite a beveled edge 39 on arm 27 to define therebetween a space 40to effect trapping of the thread OT when the latter is clamped by arm 35and end 36 on a replenishing beat of the loom, see Fig. 13. Trapping ofthe thread occurs at the same time the latter is clamped due tosimultaneous movement of the members 32-and 33 by pin 34.

A lever 41 pivotally mounted as at 42 on arm 27 is provided with anarcuate slot 43 to receive and guide the interconnecting pin 34 for areason to be described hereinafter. The forward end of this slot has anupwardly facing notch 44, see Figs. 3 to 8, to receive the pin 34 tohold the members 32 and 33 positively locked in closed or threadclamping and thread trapping positions respectively. A lever 45 is alsopivotally mounted on arm 27 as at 46 and is provided with a forwardlyextending part 47 which has an arcuate surface 49 to guide the pin 34into a notch, described below, when the pin moves rearwardly to rockmembers 32 and 33 to open or threadreceiving position. The rear end ofsurface 49, see Figs 3, 6 and 8, has a downwardly facing notch 50 toreceive the pin 34 to positively lock the members 32 and 33 in open orthread-receiving position. Lever 45 has a depending tail piece 51 forengagement with part of the lay L, Fig. 7, when the thread placer is inits rear position, to cause turning of lever 45 counterclockwise toeffect unlocking of the members 32 and 33 as the lay moves forwardly totransfer position. A spring 52 is operably connected to both levers 41and 4 and has one end anchored K" J as at 53 to lever 41 and its otherend fast to lever 45 as at 53a. The spring exerts a force in a directionto move the distal ends of the levers away from each other, and whenunlocking of members 32 and 33 is effected by the lay, the force exertedby the spring will cause lever41 to rock counterclockwise, Figs. 7 and8, to move pin 34 along slot 43 which guides the pin into notch 44 toestablish positive locking relationship with lever 41 to hold threadpick-up arms 35 and 37 in thread-clamping and trapping positionsrespectively. Levers 41 and 45 may be considered as locking means forthe members 32 and 33 while spring 52 may be considered as resilientmeans incident to a weft replenishing operation, actuator 54 willcontact anchor 53 to move it and lever 41 clockwise, Fig. 2,- to unlockpin 34 from notch 44, whereafter continued down motion of actuator 54will continue to rock lever 41 clockwise about pivot 42, and pin 34 willbe guided rearwardly along slot 43 and curve 49 until it moves intonotch 50 to eifect positive locking relationship with lever 45 as shownin Fig. 6. During rearward motion of pin 34, members 32 and 3-3 willturn simultaneously clockwise about pivot 3131, from the position shownin Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 6, to move thread pick-up arms 35 and 37to open or thread-receiving position where they are locked againstaccidental closure because of loom vibration in order to be able to pickup the outgoing thread.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a thread extracting meansgenerally indicated at 55 comprises a thread extractor lever 56 mountedfor pivotal movement on a stud 57 supported on a stand 58 fastened to ablock 59 in any approved manner, the block being conventionally boltedto the breastbeam 2. The lower end of lever 56 is formed with aforwardly facing hook 60 to engage and move the outgoing threadforwardly on replenishing beats of the loom. Stud 57 mounts a lever 61for pivotal movement thereon with respect to lever 56. A connector 62has one of its ends pivoted on arm 27 as at 63 and the other end pivotedas at 64 to lever 61. Lever 61 has a stud 65 to which is anchored oneend of a spring 66 the other end of which is anchored to a stud 67 onlever 56. Lever 61, connector 62, and spring 66 may be considered asoperative means or operative connections between the thread placer 25and the thread extractor 55.

Stand 58 has mounted thereon stop mechanism generally indicated at 68 tolimit rearward and forward movement of thread extractor 56 during a weftreplenishing beat of the loom. The stop mechanism includes a rod 69having one end pivotally connected to lever 56 and the other end havingnuts 70 for adjustment therealong to vary the motion of lever 56. Rod 69extends freely through a rotatable stud 71 on stand 58 and when lever 56is rocked, rod 69 will slide through stud 71 and turn the latter toposition itself to limit motion of lever 56 either forwardly orrearwardly depending upon which direction the thread extracting lever 56is moved. A fixed stop 72 on stand 58 cooperates with an extension 73 onlever 61 to limit rotation of the latter in a clockwise andcounterclockwise direction which consequently limits motion of thethread placer 25 rearwardly and forwardly through rod 62. Another stop74 fast on stand 58, see Figs. 3 and 8, contacts the lower end 75 of arm27 when the latter moves to its forward position to prevent over-travelof the lower end of the thread placer. It has been found that the latterstop is not necessary for the successful operation of the presentinvention, but merely acts as a safeguard to prevent undue strain on thethread placing device which may result from said over-travel.

Referring particularly to Fig. 7, which corresponds to Fig. 1 the threadplacer 25 is shown as being in its rear or thread pick-up position andlever- 56 in its rear or thread-engaging position. The lay at this pointhas advanced a portion 76 of the outgoing thread so that it lies betweenthe thread'pick-up members 32 and 33 and the lower ends of arms 26 and27 respectively. Continued forward motion of the lay will effectunlocking of the members, as described hereinbefore, with subsequentclosing thereof by spring 52 to clamp and trap the thread as shown inFig. 13.

As the lay advances it will move placer 25 from its slanted position,Fig. 7, to a vertical position (not shown) after which the usual toggle21 will act to move the placer to the positions shown in Figs. 8 and 11and thence to its normal position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Movement ofthe placer to its normal position will cause arm 29 to rotate downwardlyto move rod 11 also downwardly to effect rocking of shaft 3 back to theposition it occupied prior to indication of weft exhaustion.

Fig. 11 corresponds to Fig. 8 and shows the levers 26 and 27 adjacentthe hook 60 which is about to engage portion 65. During forward movementof levers 26 and 27 the spring 66 will be moved bodily from the positionshown in Fig. 7 to that in Fig. 8 whereupon lever 56 will be movedrapidly forwardly by the force exerted by the spring to carry the threadthrough slot 40 to effect reeving and movement of the thread downwardlyand forwardly in the direction of arrow 77, Fig. 13. Fig. 12 shows thethread placer and the thread engaging means in their forward positionswith the thread snapped out of the shuttle box and away from the lay. Asshown in Figs. 7 and 8 the lost motion connection referred tohereinbefore permits relative movement between the thread placer and thethread-engaging means such that when the arms 26 and 27 move forwardlytoward the thread-engaging means, the thread is partially moved out ofthe shuttle box after which the thread-engaging means completes removalof the thread from the box and the lay. Fig. 13 shows the outgoingthread clamping at one point between member 26 and arm 35 and trapped atanother point between member 27 and arm 37 by reason of opening 40 whichpermits reeving of the thread downwardly and forwardly by the engagingmeans when the latter is moved forwardly. It will be noted that reevingof the thread around hook 60 and over arm 37 produces a plurality ofbends in the thread which are always moved in a forward direction awayfrom the lay, see Fig. 12. Members 32' and 33 and hook 60 hold theportion 76 and the bends of the thread in position away from and forwardof the lay when the latter is reciprocating between back and frontcenter positions to prevent engagement thereby and subsequent whippingof the thread into the shed.

In operation, the lay will be moving rearwardly and forwardly betweenback and front center positions, as is usual, and the magazine, thethread placer and thread extractor will be as shown in Fig. 1. Upon weftexhaustion, the detector D will initiate setting of the magazine fortransfer as described hereinbefore. At the time of initiation, rod 15will move downwardly in the usual way to cause actuator 54 to engage andmove anchor 53 downwardly which has the effect of moving pin 34 fromnotch 44 to notch 50 whereupon thread pick-up arms 35 and 37 willsimultaneously move to locked open position as described above and shownin Fig. 6. Rod 11 will have an up movement to set the magazine fortransfer subsequent to the down movement of rod 15 and this movementwill rock arm 29 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1. Rocking of arm 29 willrotate the thread placer 25 rearwardly to thread pick-up position withthe members 32 and 33 in locked open thread-receiving position. As theplacer moves rearwardly, connector 62 will rotate lever 61counterclockwise as viewed in Figs. 3 and 7 to a predetermined positionwithout efiecting movement of the thread extracting lever 56. After thisposition has been reached, the spring 66, which moved will exert a forceto eifect movement of lever 56 rearwardly to thread-engaging'position,see Figs. 7 and 8. The pivotal mounting 57 forlevers 56 and 61 and theconnecting spring 66 therebetween provides a lost motion connection suchthat the thread placer will move rearwardly a predetermined distancebefore lever 56 will move. wardly. It is to be understood that when theplacer is in its rear or thread pick-up position, the lay will be movingforwardly as will be the outgoing thread OT, and the shuttle boxes willbe as shownin Fig. 1. As the lay advances, the thread will move ontoarms 35 and 37 after which part of the lay will engage the piece 51 tounlock the latter whereupon spring 52 will exert a force to move pin 34forwardly to effect clamping and trapping of the thread by members 32and 33 respectively. The thread is clamped and trapped just before theusual thread cutter 78 severs the threadat the shuttle eye in the usualmanner, not sho'wn but well understood in the art. Continued forwardmotion of the lay will move the thread placer a certain distanceforwardly as described above after which the aforesaid toggle connectionwill move the placer adjacent the extractor, Figs. 8 and 11, thereaftercompleting motion of the placer to its normal position. During itsforward motion, from Fig. 7 to Fig. 8, the placer will move connector62, and

lever 61 and spring 66 clockwise to the position shown in Fig. 8, and atthe same time portion 76 of thethread will be placed in position to beengaged by'hook 60. When the spring reaches the position shown in Fig.8, it will contract and lever 56 will be given a snappyforward motioneffective to snap the thread out of the box and away from the lay beforethe latter starts rearwardly. During a subsequent pick after a weftreplenishing operation, the usual temple cutter indicated at 79 willoperate to sever the thread at the selvage, and that partof the threadindicated at 81 extending from the selvage to the clamp will hangdownwardly from the placer as will the extracted part of the threadindicated at 82 and said both parts will be held by the placer away fromand forward of the lay, see Fig. 1.

When the next replenishing operation occurs, arms 35 and 37 will open,as described hereinbefore, and the parts 81 and 82 will fall to somesuch position adjacent breastbeam 2 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1to be held by hook 60 until the latter moves rearwardly, as before,whereupon the thread OT will fall to the fioor or into a container (notshown) if desired.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that simple means have been providedfor the removal of the thread from the shuttle box and from the lay toprevent entry of the thread into the warp shed. Also, it will be seenthat removal of the thread occurs before the lay starts its backwardmotion and in this way the thread is prevented from being caught on agoing part of the lay and eventually drawn into the shed. Also, thethread placer and thread engaging means are so mounted that there isrelative motion between them, the effect of which is to move the threadforwardly in two steps, first by the thread placer and secondly by thethread engaging means. In this manner it is possible to move the threada distance further forwardly than was realized in the past. It will alsobe seen that the invention provides means 'which not only moves thethread forwardly but also holds the thread in a forward positionadjacent the breastbeam and away from the lay. Moreover, the cooperationbetween the thread engaging means and the thread placer means providesthe means in which bends in the threads are produced and moved forwardlyand when thus being moved reeving of the thread is effected by the hook60 and arm 35. Also, simple, locking means have been provided for themembers to positively lock the members either in closed or in openposition so that This is also true when the placer moves forthe memberscannot close due to loom vibration before they have picked up the threador cannot open to lose the thread after picking it up before the threadis cut at the selvage and before the next weft replenishing operation. i

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in use withshifting shuttle boxes, but that a single shuttle box under the magazinecan be employed, and when such is the case, it need only be necessary tolower bracket 22 via bolts 23, adjust rod 11 to drop its lower end, and

remove block 59 to set stand 58 on the breastbeam proper and bolt itthereto.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of theinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what isclaimed is:

1. In a weft replenishing loom having a magazine and transfer settingmeans therefor, and a rearwardly and forwardly reciprocating lay havinga shuttle box thereon at the magazine side of the loom containing ashuttle having a thread extending from the eye of the shuttle to theselvage on weft replenishing beats of the loom and movable with the lay,the loom having a thread cutter adjacent the eye of the shuttle on saidbeats, thread placing means movable rearwardly on said beats to threadpick-up position when the magazine is set for transfer and movableforwardly by the advancing lay after it has picked up the thread toadvance a portion of the thread forwardly to place said portion in aposition conducive to further advancement, thread extracting meansmounted on the loom frame in thread extracting position incident to aweft replenishing operation of the loom, and means between said placingmeans and said extracting means effective to cause movement of saidextracting means forwardly on said beats to further advance said portionafter the thread has been severed by the cutter at the shuttle eye,whereupon that part of the thread extending from said portion to saideye will be extracted from said box.

2. In a weft replenishing loom having a magazine and setting meanstherefor, and a reciprocating lay having a shuttle box thereon at themagazine side of the loom containing a shuttle having a near-depletedbobbin from which a thread extends through the shuttle eye to theselvage on weft replenishing beats of the loom, the loom having a threadcutter operable to sever the thread on said beats, thread placing meansmovable from a normal forward position to an abnormal rear, threadpick-up position when the magazine is set for transfer and movable backto said forward position after the thread has been picked up by saidplacing means to place a portion of the thread forwardly to locate saidportion between said positions for further forward movement thereofafter the cutter has severed the thread, thread extracting means movablerearwardly and forwardly with said placing means on said beats to engagesaid portion when moving from its rear to its forward position to movesaid portion further forwardly to effect removal of the thread from theshuttle box, and means between said placing and extracting meanseffective to cause movement of the latter means rearwardly to threadextracting position when said placing means moves rearwardly and alsoeffective to move said extracting means forwardly to threadcxtractedposition when said placing means moves forwardly.

3. In a weft replenishing loom having a magazine, a backwardly andforwardly reciprocating lay having a shifting shuttle box thereon at themagazine end of the loom, said box having a shuttle therein containing aneardepleted bobbin from which a thread extends to the selvage on weftreplenishing beats of the loom, the loom having a thread cutter adjacentthe shuttle and operable to sever the thread on said beats, threadplacing means movable on said beats from a normal forward station to anabnormal or rear, thread pick-up station when the magazine is set fortransfer and movable back to its normal station after picking up thethread to move a portion of the thread forwardly to a position betweensaid stations to locate said portion for further forward movement, meansto engage said portion when in said position to move it furtherforwardly incident to a Weft replenishing operation, operativeconnections movable with said placing means and between said placingmeans and said engaging means to effect movement of the latter meansrearwardly to thread engaging position during part of the rearwardmovement of said placing means and to effect return of said engagingmeans to thread retracted position while said placing means is movingforwardly, and means movable by said connections and between saidconnections and said engaging means to move the latter means rearwardlyand forwardly and with respect to said connections when said connectionshave moved a predetermined distance rearwardly and forwardlyrespectively.

4. In a Weft replenishing loom having a magazine and bobbin transfersetting means therefor, a rearwardly and forwardly reciprocating layhaving a shuttle box thereon at the magazine side of the loom, and ashuttle in said box having a thread extending from the shuttle eye tothe selvage on weft replenishing beats of the loom, the loom having athread cutter adjacent the eye of the shuttle, thread placing meansbetween the box mouth and the selvage movable rearwardly to threadpick-up position when the magazine is set for. transfer and movableforwardly by the advancing lay after the thread has been picked up tomove a portion of the thread forwardly to a predetermined positionwherein said portion will. be in readiness for further forward movement,and thread extractor means mounted on the loom frame in threadextracting position incident to a replenishing operation of the loom andtriggered by said placing means to move forwardly to engage said portionwhen the latter is in said predetermined position to move said portionforwardly to cause the part of the thread extending from said portion tothe shuttle eye to snap out of said box down and away from said layafter the thread has been severed by the cutter at the shuttle eye andbefore the lay starts moving rearwardly.

5. In a weft replenishing loom having a magazine and a rearwardly andforwardly reciprocating lay having a shuttle box thereon at the magazineside of the loom containing a shuttle having a thread extending from theeye of the shuttle to the selvage on weft replenishing beats of theloom, the loom having a thread cutter to sever the thread adjacent theeye of the shuttle on said beats, means movable rearwardly and forwardlyto thread extracting and extracted positions respectively incident to aweft replenishing operation of the loom, said means including aplurality of elements movable further forwardly from thread extractingposition to thread extracted position on said beats, one of saidelements effective to produce a plurality of bends in the thread as saidone element moves forwardly after the thread hasbeen cut, said oneelement moving said bends in a direction away from and relative to thelay to effect withdrawal of the thread from the shuttle box.

6. The loom set forth in claim wherein said one element is mounted onthe loom frame independently of the mounting for the other elements andis effective when in said extracted position to maintain said bendsstationary in a forward position away from said lay as the latter movesrearwardly subsequent to a weft replenishing operation.

7. The loom set forth in claim 5 wherein said one element movesrearwardly to thread extracting position on said beats relative to theremaining elements as said means moves to said position, said oneelement moving forwardly to thread extracted position on said beatsrelative to the remaining elements to produce a plurality of forwardlymoving bends in the weft as said means move to thread extractedposition.

8. In a weft replenishing loom having a magazine and a rearwardly andforwardly reciprocating lay having a shuttle box thereon at the magazineside of the loom containing a shuttle having a thread extending from theeye of the shuttle to the selvage on weft replenishing beats of theloom, the loom having a thread cutter to sever the thread adjacent theeye of the shuttle on said beats, means movable rearwardly and forwardlyto thread extracting and extracted positions respectively incident to aweft replenishing operation of the loom, said means including a threadplacer and a plurality of thread engaging reeving elements, part of saidreeving elements being on the placer and part being on the loom frameand movable with said placer when the latter moves, said placer beingeffective to carry'a portion of said thread forwardly to said last namedpart when the latter is in thread extracting position and also beingeffective to cause relative movement between the said parts on saidbeats when said placer moves forwardly incident to a weft replenishingoperation, said movement causing engagement of said last named part withsaid portion to move the latter in advance of said placer to produce aplurality of bends in the thread to effect reeving of the thread in aforward and down direction away from said lay and removal therefrom.

9. In a weft replenishing loom having a forwardly and rearwardly movinglay, a thread extracting device including a pair of spaced vertical armspivotally mounted at their upper end for simultaneous movement from anormal, forward position to a rear, thread pick-up position incident toa weft replenishing operation and thread engaging means pivotallymounted independently of said arms'but being operatively connectedthereto for movement therewith when said arms move, a pair of spacedthread pick-up members, one on each arm, pivoted at the lower end of thearms and movable from closed to open position incident to saidreplenishing operation when said arms are in their normal position,means interconnecting said members to effect simultaneous movementthereof, locking means coacting with said interconnecting means andbetween said members and said arms and mounted on one of said arms forindependent movement relative to each other, said interconnecting meanscooperating with one part of said locking means to hold said membersclosed when said device is in its normal position, operating meansmovable incident to a replenishing operation to engage said one part tomove the latter on a weft replenishing beat of the loom whereby saidinterconnecting means is moved to unlocking position to effect openingof said members and into locking relationship with the other part ofsaid locking means to lock said members in open position before saiddevice is moved to its rear or thread pickup position, means on saidother part to cooperate with the advancing lay to unlock and initiateclosure of said members when said device is in its rear or threadpick-up position and after it has picked up the thread, and meansbetween said parts of locking means to eflect movement ofsaidlinterconnecting means forwardly to complete closing and locking ofsaid members.

10. The loom set forth in claim 9 wherein the pivotal mountings for thearm and engaging means are parallel to and spaced from each other suchthat the lower ends of said arms will be rearward of said engaging meanswhen said arms and means are in thread pick-up position, and such thatsaid engaging means will be forward of said lower ends when the latterand said means are in their normal forward positions.

11. The loom set forth in claim 9 wherein said operative connectionspermit the lower ends of said arms to move forwardly and adjacent tosaid engaging means while the latter is still in rear or thread engagingposition, after which said connections effect return of said armsand'means to their normal forward positions.

12. The loom set forth in claim 9 wherein said operative connections aremovable with said arms and include a lever pivoted on the mounting forsaid engaging means and movable with respect thereto, a connector havingone end pivotally connected to said lever and its other end menttherebetween when s'aida'rm'smove.

13. The loom set forth in'claim l2wherein said spring has one of itsends fixed to said lever and the other end fixed to said engaging meanssuch that when said arms move said one end of the spring will moverelative'to the other end to effect expansion and bodily movement of thespring about said other end to a predetermined position whereupon thespring will contract to move said ends toward each other to causerelative movement between the lever and theengaging means to move thelatter from normal forward position to rear thread engaging position orvice versa depending upon which direction said arms move.

14. The loom set forth in claim 12 wherein said spring yieldingly lockssaid engaging means to hold the latter in rear or normal positiondepending upon whether said arms are in rear or normal position.

15. The loom set forth in claim 9 wherein said one part is a leverpivoted on one of said arms and including a stud thereon'for engagementwith said operating means, and an arcuate guiding slot for movement ofsaid interconnecting means therein and having at the forward end thereofan upwardly facing notch opening into said slot to receivesaid'interconnecting means to effect locking of said members in closedposition when said arms are in their normal forward position.

16. The loom set forth in claim 9 wherein said other part is a leverpivoted on one of said arms and including an elongated extension havingan arcuate surface in guiding relationship with said interconnectingmeans, a downwardly open facing notch at the rear of said surface toreceive said means to effect locking of said members in" open positionwhen said arms are in their rear position, and a tailpiece dependingfrom said lever for engagement with the lay to effect unlocking of themembers as the lay moves forwardly incident to a weft replenishingoperation.

17. The loom set forth in claim 9 whereinsaid means between said partsis a spring having one end anchored to said one of said parts and theother end anchored to the said other of said parts and exerting a forcein a direction to separate the distal ends of said parts to effectholding of said members in locked position when they are closed or openand to effect movement of said-one part to 12 other to effect removalofthe thread from the lay on said beats, means operated by the magazinemechanism to move one of said devices rearwardly to thread pickupposition incident to a weft'replenishing operation, connections betweensaid devices to effect movement of the other device with respect to"said one of said devices when it moves, a pivotal support mounting partof said connection and said other device for relative movementtherebetween, means operatively connected to and between said part andsaid other device movable when said part moves to cause said relativemovement, and stop means for each device to limit rearward and forwardmovement thereof, one of said stop means cooperating with said part tolimit rearward and forward movement of said connection and said onedevice and the other stop means cooperating with said other device tolimit rearward and forward movement thereof.

19. In a thread controlling unit for a weft replenishing loom having apair of pivotal supports on the loom frame and an actuator movableincident to replenishment, a supporting structure having a pivoted pairof thread pickup members thereon and rotatable about one of saidsupports by said actuator, a pin connecting said members to effectsimultaneous movement thereof, each of said members coacting with saidsupporting structure to respectively clamp and trap a weft thread atdifferent points thereof, a pair of levers pivoted on said structureeach of which has a notch to receive said pin independently of eachother to positively lock said members against pivotal movement untilthey are unlocked and each of which has means to guide said pin towardthe notches, yielding means capable of holding said-levers in lockingrelationship with said pins and capable of moving one of said levers toeffect movement of saidpin after unlocking has occurred, a threadengaging structure rotatable about the other of said supports and havinga forwardly facing hook to engage the weft thread between said points, alever also rotatable about the other of said supports with respect tosaid thread engaging structure, yielding means connected to said threadengaging structure and said lever. and movable bodily with the latter toeffect a lost motion connection therebetween, a connector having one endpivoted on said supporting structure and the other end pivoted on saidlever to transmit motion to the latter when the supporting structuremoves to effect movement of the thread engaging structure after thelever has moved a predetermined distance, and stop means on said unitfor said structure to limit motion of the latter independently of eachother.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

